‘Joshua Associations still exist!’

    

Magpie file photo

The East of Oriental Hall, Masonic Temple, Philadelphia. The Joshua Association will meet therein Monday night.

I had no idea, but an announcement the other day from Comp. Nick showed how the Joshua Association of Philadelphia is still in business, which led me to find that other Joshua Associations are alive too. I assumed these groups, which got their start more than a century ago, had withered and disappeared like ancillary capillaries that shut down quietly as the overall fraternity atrophies.

Anyway, Nick reports his Joshua Association (he’s Second Vice President) will meet next week! From the publicity:

Ye Antient, Olde & Original

Joshua Association

Monday, September 28

Dinner at six o’clock

Meeting at seven in Oriental Hall

Masonic Temple

1 North Broad Street, Philadelphia

For dinner, meet at 5:45 at Sabroso+Sorbo in the Notary Hotel (corner of Juniper and Filbert). The Knife & Fork Degree will be conferred on new members. Any Companions who would like to receive the degree are welcome to attend.

M.E. Thomas McConnell

If you’re not familiar, the best I can do is this brief comment from M.E. Thomas McConnell, Jr., Grand High Priest of the Grand Holy Royal Arch Chapter of Pennsylvania, at its Annual Grand Communication of December 27, 1917 at that historic Masonic Temple:

About ten years ago, a voluntary association of the Most Excellent High Priests of Chapters meeting in Philadelphia was formed under the title of “Joshua Association” to which Past High Priests, Kings, and Scribes have since been made eligible, and it seems also to be a part of their plan to elect Grand Officers to honorary membership as soon as they are elected in Grand Chapter.

The plan of the Association has been to visit Chapters in and about Philadelphia and encourage and help them. They have always been in hearty and sympathetic accord with the work of Grand Chapter, and especially so during the past year. The officers and members have cordially and earnestly seconded my work wherever possible, have in many instances timed their visitations to accord with mine, and, while their Association has no official status as an association, the officers and members are entitled to a word of commendation for the able and unselfish work they are doing to build up Royal Arch Masonry in Philadelphia and its vicinity. I wish more of the Companions in this and other localities would emulate their example.

And, speaking exactly two years later at the same location, MEGHP David J. Davis said:

On Saturday evening, January 25, I attended the Annual Meeting and banquet of the Joshua Association of Philadelphia. The enthusiasm and fraternal feeling among the Companions convinced me that they are an Association of efficient officers and good fellows. They are sincere, loyal and ever ready to serve. Am proud of the excellent results accomplished by them and the good work they are now doing for the benefit of Capitular Masonry in this Jurisdiction.

From what I understand, this original association in Philly would assist chapters with ritual work. That focus of a century ago has dissipated, and today the association is simply social in its activities. Also, it seems membership has extended across the Delaware River to embrace Royal Arch Masons from New Jersey and Delaware. The companions will meet next on March 22, 2027.

Other Joshua Associations, from what I see, include Anthracite No. 2 (wear red socks) which meets in central Pennsylvania; and Lehigh Valley, which will reach its 86th anniversary next March 31 in Lenhartsville.

Who’s Joshua? First, click here, then pursue further Light by taking the degrees of Royal Arch Masonry.

    

‘Civil War Lodge to take Hampton’

    

Speaking of the Civil War (see Tuesday’s post below), Civil War Lodge of Research 1865, one of Virginia’s six lodges of Masonic research, has its next meeting planned for Hampton. We will meet at Monitor Lodge 197 at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 10. We’ll have dinner together the night before at County Grill & Smokehouse; and Saturday dinner will be figured out after the lodge meeting.

If you’re wondering if Monitor Lodge is named for the U.S. Navy’s famous iron-clad warship of the Civil War, you are right. The ship battled the iron-clad CSS Virginia (which earlier had been the USS Merrimack) in 1862. The Monitor sank nine months after that off the coast of North Carolina. Monitor Lodge was founded by U.S. Navy officers stationed at Fort Monroe, and was chartered by the Grand Lodge of Maryland which assigned it the number 113.

Union military, in Virginia, founding a Maryland lodge in Virginia, during the Civil War? I’m sure we’ll discuss during our meeting how that came to pass.

I’m not seeing in our trestleboard a planned excursion to Fort Monroe after the meeting. I think that means we’ll be on our own to investigate America’s largest stone fortification and its exhibits. Looking forward to all the above.

And looking forward to the coming dates:

⭑ Saturday, December 12 for the installation of officers at the Grand Lodge of Virginia;

⭑ April 10, 2027 at St. John’s 3 in New Bern, North Carolina (yes, I plan on being there);

⭑ July 10, 2027 somewhere in the District of Columbia; and

⭑ October 9, 2027 possibly in Maryland.

     

‘Freemasonry, Immigration, and the Making of Early America’

    

Click to enlarge.

If you missed Glenn Kreisberg at the Ulster County Historical Society two months ago, you can catch him soon at the Shandaken Historical Museum. From the publicity:

Sunday, October 4, 1-3 p.m.

Shandaken Historical Museum

26 Academy Street

Pine Hill, New York

Free admission & refreshments served

As Dutch, British and Scottish communities established themselves in the Hudson Valley, Masonic lodges became part of the civic and social fabric of early Ulster County, helping men build trust, lasting relationships, and stronger communities.

On Sunday, October 4, author and researcher Glenn Kreisberg will present: “Brotherhoods of the New World: Freemasonry, Immigration and the Making of Early America.” The presentation will explore who established Ulster County’s early lodges, the principles that guided them and how they influenced the communities growing around them.

At the center of this local story stands Chancellor Robert R. Livingston, who served as Grand Master of Masons in New York from 1784 to 1801, helped establish its independent statewide jurisdiction, and who administered the presidential oath of office to George Washington on April 30, 1789.

     

‘Masonic Bonds in the Civil War’

    

Among his many jobs, our very own St. John the Evangelist is one of the patron saints of authors, so it is extra fortuitous when a Brother Mason pens a book.

Johnstown is way too far upstate for me to visit, but on Wednesday, October 7, Unity Lodge 79 will host a dinner and reading with W. Bro. Gordon Moccio.

Moccio is the author of By the Signs We Know Them: Masonic Bonds in the Civil War, published last year. From the publicity:

The brothers of Unity Lodge 79 (22 North Perry Street, Johnstown, New York) will host a dinner presentation of W. Gordon Moccio’s book. Join Gordon as he shares powerful accounts of brotherly love and fraternal devotion—stories of Masons who, even in the heat of battle, recognized one another, protected one another, and upheld the sacred obligations of the Craft.

This presentation will be open to Masons, family, and friends. Dinner served at 6:30, please RSVP here.

I’m sure there will be copies of the book for sale, but if you cannot attend, it is available via Amazon.

Congrats, Gordon! Maybe we can get you to Civil War Lodge of Research somehow.

     

‘Book sale at the Washington Memorial’

    

On November 12, 1912, Spanish Prime Minister José Canalejas y Méndez was assassinated* by an anarchist (typical) while shopping for books in Madrid. The odds of that happening to you this November 12-15 are practically zero, so get to the George Washington Masonic National Memorial for its massive book sale!

*Franco, who himself is still dead, later blamed the Freemasons for the murder.

     

‘2027 Cambridge Conference plans’

    

Quatuor Coronati Lodge 2076 (EC) is the first Masonic lodge of research, having been set to labor 140 years ago. At this time, there are only forty-one members, of whom five are American. Adam Kendall of California will be installed in the East on November 12.

The plan is coming together for Quatuor Coronati Lodge 2076’s Cambridge Conference next year. The details—theme, speakers, registration, etc.—are posted, so make plans for the first weekend of September 2027. From the publicity:

Quatuor Coronati Lodge 2076

Cambridge Conference

‘Rituals: Pasts & Present’

September 3-5, 2027

Queens’ College, Cambridge

Click here

The 1720s and early 1730s saw the introduction of radical new Masonic ritual, with the Second Degree reflecting the emergence and incorporation of Enlightenment values and the Third Degree introducing the Hiramic legend. Other degrees and degree systems followed over succeeding years and decades. Notwithstanding this, in many jurisdictions there is a belief that ritual is in some manner immutable and not open to change.

This Conference outlines why that has not been and is not the case. 2027 marks the approximate tercentenary of the introduction of Third Degree and the anniversary provides an opportunity for our speakers, panellists and delegates to discuss, debate and contextualise the evolution of Masonic ritual in Britain, Ireland, Europe, America and elsewhere.

We have a slate of world-class speakers and papers that cover the Blue Degrees, the Royal Arch, European rituals, the Swedish and Scottish rites, and much more. This is the first occasion on which such a breadth of topics will be considered and debated and promises to be a fascinating and ground-breaking event.

Queens’ College

The Mathematical Bridge, built 1748-49.

The venue, Queens’ College, Cambridge, is also outstanding. Queens’ was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou and spans the River Cam with the Mathematical Bridge. Its alumni include Erasmus, who studied at the college from 1506-15.

Queens’ College

Old Hall was built in 1449 as an original part
of the college.

Accommodation is available in College and we will have access to both the College Bar and dining facilities. The Conference Dinner on Saturday evening will be preceded by a drinks reception in the Old Hall. The dress code for the weekend is relaxed smart/casual, albeit with a jacket and tie, or suit, or dress, for the Conference Dinner and Reception. Partners are welcome to attend, as are all members (and non-members) of QCCC. A range of books and regalia will be available courtesy of Lewis Masonic.

Please diarise the Conference, which will be exceptional. And book here for a great few days.

Speakers to include:

Dr. Ric Berman,

Conference Chair

Ric Berman researches, writes and speaks on eighteenth and nineteenth-century English, Irish and American history, with an emphasis on Freemasonry, the largest and most consequential society in Europe and America. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, the author of numerous journal articles and ten books, and has delivered keynote lectures worldwide. Ric holds an MA and Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge and the University of Exeter, respectively, and undertook post-doctoral research at the University of Oxford’s Modern European History Research Centre. A Freemason for more than forty years and twice Prestonian Lecturer, Ric is a Past Master of three English Lodges including Quatuor Coronati, and chairs QCCC. He is also an American Freemason, a member and honorary member of lodges in seven states, a Blue Friar, and a Fellow of the Philalethes Society. 

Professor Jan Snoek

Jan Snoek’s presentation provides an overview of the current state of academic research into the development of the Masonic degree system in the first half of the 18th century. It traces the development of ritual from a single degree in Scotland and England, into two degrees in both Scotland and London, then three degrees in London; the subsequent appearance of the Scots Master’s Degree in London and its spread to France and Germany; and finally, the development of a ‘Royal Arch’ degree in Paris and its expansion to England. Jan was awarded a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Leiden University, the Netherlands, in 1987 for a thesis on initiation rituals. From 2000 until his retirement, he worked as a ritual specialist at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, where he illustrated his publications on ritual theory with examples from Masonic rituals. He is the author of more than 100 publications on Masonic rituals, including “The Early Development of the Degree of Scots Master in Germany and Neighboring Countries.” He was initiated in 1971 and has been an active Freemason since.

Robert Cooper

Bob Cooper will examine and seek to shed light on the origins of the Third Degree and will suggest that these lie in Scotland. Bob also will provide the context to this argument, including a brief history of Scotland at that time and its national network of lodges. Bob is the former Curator of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, having served for some thirty years from 1994. He is the author of numerous books and articles on all aspects of Freemasonry and has appeared in several television and radio programs. He was initiated in The Lodge of Light 1656 and is a Founder Member and a Past Master of Lodge Edinburgh Castle 1764. He also is a Past Master of Sir Robert Moray 1641, the premier Scottish lodge of research, and of Quatuor Coronati 2076.

Leif Endre Grutle

Leif’s paper looks at the origins and development of the Swedish Rite, a unique set of rituals practiced across the Nordic countries. Leif was born in Bergen, Norway, and graduated from the Norwegian School of Theology in 1998 as Candidatus Theologiae, a degree ranking between Master and Ph.D. in Theology. He took holy orders in 2001 and worked as provost in the Church of Norway. Leif was initiated in 2004 into the Norwegian Order of Freemasons and is Knight & Commander with the Red Cross, the XI and last degree of the Swedish Rite. He joined Niels Treschow Lodge, the research lodge of the Order, in 2012, and served as Master from 2017-23. He is co-editor of Acta Masonica Scandinavica, the annual transactions of Scandinavian Masonic research, and his research has been published in both this and other publications, including AQC and Heredom.

Lucio Artini

Lucio’s research focuses on the relationship between Freemsonry, politics and the Catholic Church, and his presentation (with Martino Cartella), will explore this theme. Lucio was born in Arezzo, Italy in 1960, and holds a degree in Political Science from the University of Florence. He has written articles for L’Uomo and Officinae and in 2014 published “Beato Gregorio X il Papa Crociato: il Papa templare?” He has spoken at conferences globally, including those organized by Quatuor Coronati and ICOM, and is a member of the Loggia Lorenzo il Magnifico 52, Florence; and Mount Sinai Lodge 8993, London. The paper will be delivered by co-author, Martino Cartella.

Jay Hochberg

Jay’s paper examines the links between Thomas Reid, William Preston and the (American) Fellow Craft Degree. Jay is a Freemason under the Grand Lodge of New York and celebrates his thirtieth anniversary in the fraternity in 2027. A Past Master of two research lodges, in New York and New Jersey, he has written about Freemasonry for both Masonic and the general media, and has spoken before Masonic and general audiences for twenty-five years. Outside the fraternity, he is an editorial professional, having regressed from award-winning journalist to political press secretary to his current grind as a freelance copywriter/editor, which he somehow rationalizes is a legitimate use of his BA in Journalism from New York University.

Erich Huhn

Erich’s paper aims to bring a new understanding to the way Freemasonry developed in the United States, not out of whole cloth but through the ritualistic innovations of appendant/concordant bodies and Grand Lodge committees. Erich is a Ph.D. candidate in History & Culture at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. His research focuses on the way Freemasonry and fraternal organizations helped reinforce middle-class values and are used as tools of social “placing” throughout the long nineteenth century. Erich has written New Jersey’s Masonic Lodges (Arcadia Publishing, 2019); he is Secretary of New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education 1786; Senior Warden at The American Lodge of Research, New York City; and QCCC Local Secretary to New Jersey.

Jan Paulus

Jan examines the role of Irish Freemasonry during the period of political upheaval that accompanied the outbreak of the Irish Civil War and the early years of the Irish Free State. Jan is studying for a Ph.D. in History at St. Catharine’s College, Cambridge. He holds an MPhil in Internatonal History from Trinity College, Dublin; and a BEd in History and English from Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz.

Dr. Victor Serafimov

Victor’s paper examines how different ritual traditions have been transmitted, adapted and sometimes combined across Eastern Europe. Bulgaria is one example, where the Schröder/AFAM tradition is predominant alongside Emulation and Scottish-derived workings. He also looks at comparisons in Turkey, Hungary and other European jurisdictions. Victor is the 2026 winner of the Norman B. Spencer Prize. He is a member and Orator of Lodge Vitosha 121; and a member of Lodge Quatuor Coronati 40, both under the United Grand Lodge of Bulgaria, and is the Local Secretary for QCCC. Victor holds a Doctorate in International Public Law from Southwest University; a Masters in Law from Sofia University; a Diploma in English and European Law, University of Cambridge; and an MBA, American University in Bulgaria. He runs a Strategic Advisory Consultancy and is an Adjunct Law Professor at the American University in Bulgaria and a former board member of Bulgarian National Television and Bulgarian National Radio.

Daniel Stanford

Dan’s paper provides a commentary on the Irish Royal Arch Degree and a history of its evolution. Dan is a Past Master of Corinthian Commercial Lodge 245, and currently a Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies and elected member of the Grand Lodge of Instruction of Ireland. He is also active in Mark and Royal Arch Masonry, and other orders in Ireland.

Dr. Mike Kearsley

Mike takes a personal look at the Royal Arch and how it is often misunderstood, where it is understood at all. Mike was born in Lancashire and lived in New Zealand for many years before returning to the UK. He returned to NZ once again in 2020. Mike was initiated into Freemasonry in Hawera Lodge, Taranaki, NZ, and passed and raised in Mairehau Lodge, Christchurch, NZ. In the UK, he joined David Bonner Lodge, the musicians lodge of the Province of Middlesex, becoming Master in 2010 and thereafter Secretary. He is also a member of Temple of Athene Research Lodge (Master, 2013) and Quatuor Coronati. Mike is a prolific researcher and author, a past Provincial Grand Orator for Middlesex, and in 2011 was awarded the Norman B. Spencer Prize. He was appointed Prestonian Lecturer in 2014 and ANZMRC’s Kellerman Lecturer in 2019. He is also a former editor of The Square.

Ben Williams

Ben’s paper will examine the evolution and purpose of the York and Scottish rites, and their impact in America. Born in England but living and working in the US, Ben is a Past Master of Norwood Lodge 111 and Telluride Lodge 56, and currently serves as Secretary for the Research Lodge of Colorado. He is very active in both the York and Scottish rites, as well as numerous appendant bodies and orders. A Past Grand Orator of the Grand Lodge of Colorado, he has also served as the Chair of the Grand Lodge Education Committee for six years. Ben is an Intellectual Property and Patent Attorney based in Denver and Los Angeles. He is the founder of Williams Intellectual Property, Inc., a firm he established in Denver in 2012, and expanded to Los Angeles in 2022, when he became a registered patent attorney admitted to the California Bar. In 2026, he joined Fabian VanCott (est.1874) as intellectual property counsel.

Click here to register for the conference, the ensuing reception and dinner, and even accommodations at the college. Questions? Write here.

(Listen, I know I don’t belong in this company. You think I don’t know that? I know that. But it’ll be okay. While I have spoken on this subject several times in the New York City area the past two years, what I’m writing for next September will be more detailed and will have greater context. It’ll be written before the April 1 deadline, so I’ll have months to prepare for the oral delivery. It’ll be okay. Right? Tell me it will be okay!)

     

‘Special Meeting at Daniel Boone Homestead’

    

I’m on the fence about driving to this one, but if Bro. Corelli is up for it, I’ll get us out there. It’s not a degree that Union 479 has planned for next Friday, but a Special Stated Meeting, and it looks like fun, plus I’ve never been to the Daniel Boone Homestead. (The Empire State Grotto Association annual, scheduled for this weekend in Jersey, got scratched. The James R. Case Award dinner, rescheduled for tomorrow in Connecticut, apparently is being rescheduled again. I am owed a little trip!)

Sorry to say I’ve never even heard of Birdsboro, where both lodge and historic site are located, but it isn’t prohibitively distant. The lodge normally meets on fourth Thursdays in its own building, but the brethren will get together this time, by dispensation, at the Homestead with a campfire cookout afterward.

The Daniel Boone Homestead, in the words of its caretakers:

...preserves its historic, cultural, and natural resources to educate and interpret the life of Daniel Boone, the history of the Oley Valley and promote environmental stewardship through engaging, and interactive experiences that are relevant, accessible, and meaningful to diverse audiences. The Daniel Boone Homestead Associates, a non-profit community-based organization, supports and assists the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in the operation of the site.

Union Lodge received its charter 156 years ago this month. Read their history here.

Hope to see you there.

     

‘Gan is new Canon Portal Lecturer’

    

The ubiquitous Richard Gan (Master of QC2076 for starters!) has been named the next Canon Portal Memorial Lecturer, according to an announcement from the Mark Master Masons in England. From the publicity:

Richard Gan

We are delighted to announce RW Bro. Richard Gan, JP., P.Prov.G.M. (Middlesex), as the next Canon Portal Memorial Lecturer. Richard will explore the remarkable life and legacy of Frederick Binckes, whose vision and service had a profound influence on Mark Masonry.

Binckes played a pivotal role in the development of the Mark Degree, the Mark Benevolent Fund and the establishment of Mark Masons’ Hall. His wider contribution to Freemasonry and its charitable institutions was equally significant.

We look forward to welcoming Richard and to another engaging and enlightening occasion of Masonic history and fellowship.

Synopsis of the 2026 Canon Portal Memorial Lecture—“Frederick Binckes: A Remarkable Freemason”—Frederick Binckes was an outstanding Victorian Freemason who had a profound and lasting effect on many different aspects of Freemasonry, and was instrumental in putting Mark Masonry on the map. He was appointed Grand Secretary of Mark Grand Lodge in 1861, and served concurrently as Secretary of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys for more than twenty-eight years. Binckes had a considerable influence on the expansion of the Mark Degree and its acceptance into mainstream Masonry, both at home and overseas, the creation of the Mark Benevolent Fund and the establishment of Mark Masons’ Hall in Great Queen Street.

He also played a key role in the Royal Ark Mariner being brought under the protection of Mark Grand Lodge, as well as the formation and early development of the Royal and Select Masters, and the Allied Masonic Degrees.

To arrange a delivery of the Fourth Portal Lecture in your Province or District, please contact R.W. Bro. Gan here.

We also extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to W. Bro. Dr. John Walter Hawkins for his dedication, service, and scholarly contribution in delivering the previous lecture.

Perhaps you know Bro. Gan from Masonic Week. If not, here is a little biograpy from Lewis Masonic:

Richard Gan is a senior Freemason and a Grand Officer in all the major Orders of Freemasonry. He retired in June 2010 as Deputy Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons. Born in 1950, he was educated at the Becket School, Nottingham, and is a graduate of London University where he took an Honours Degree in Geology and subsequently studied part-time for a Masters Degree in Education. He is also a graduate of the Open University, where he took a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Management Studies. Whilst at the Institute of Education he combined winning a double distinction in the Post Graduate Certificate of Education whilst also serving as President of the Students’ Union. He has enjoyed a number of successful careers in education and Masonic administration before finally becoming Editor of The Square, an independent magazine for Freemasons, retiring in 2014. He is a full member of Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076, the premier lodge of Masonic research.

The Canon Portal Memorial Lecture is a fairly recent tradition, established 2018, in English Mark Masonry. Gan is the fourth to be so honored and set to labor. The lecture was created by the Mark Benevolent Fund at its sesquicentennial anniversary to honor the history and legacy of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of England and Wales.

It is named for Canon George Raymond Portal (1827-89), a founder of both the MBF and the Mark Grand Lodge, serving as its Grand Master, 1869-73. A giant in various Masonic orders in England (Grand Master of the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters, England and Wales in 1871 and Grand Master of AMD at the time of his death), Portal was not unknown in the United States. During his Mark grand mastership, he served as representative to the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Iowa.

His too brief obituary in Vol. II (1889) of Ars Quatuor Coronatorum simply reads:

Click to enlarge.

The April 13, 1889 edition of The Freemason: The Organ of the Craft, a Weekly Record of Progress in Freemasonry Literature, Science and Art, reports:

Yet once again, within the brief period of a few weeks, the melancholy duty devolves on us of recording the death of one of the ablest and most experienced members of our Craft... We are sorrowing over the loss of a reverend brother who had secured both Grand and Provincial Grand Lodge honors; and had not only presided as Grand Master over the Mark and other degrees or systems of Masonry, but had likewise been their guide, philosopher, and friend during so long a term of years that his loss, if not irreparable, will be most difficult to repair.

Bro. the Rev. Canon Portal, almost from the time of his initiation until his death, was a busy as well as an able member of the Craft. Two years after he had been made a Mason, we find him presiding as Master over one of our most important Provincial Lodges, and assisting in the resuscitation of another, which, but for his fortunate intervention would, in all probability, have then and there disappeared from the roll of Grand Lodge. Five years later, in conjunction with other Oxford brethren, he took a leading part in the revival of one of our oldest and now one of our most distinguished Metropolitan lodges, while, about the same time, his voice was frequently heard in Grand Lodge on the stirring question of the Canadian lodges and their alleged neglect by the home authorities.

In 1856 he turned his attention to the Mark Degree, and on the establishment of the Mark G. Lodge was appointed one of its Grand Chaplains. Thenceforward he appears to have devoted almost the whole of his attention to this particular branch of Masonry, and there can be no question that the Mark is chiefly indebted for its success to the efficient services rendered by our late Bro. Portal in one or other of the numerous offices he filled almost from the date of his advancement, but more particularly as Deputy Grand and Grand Master and President of its General Board. In him, too, the Mark Benevolent Fund has lost one of its founders and early patrons, while the Allied Degrees and Royal and Select Masters will hardly know themselves now that he who had presided over their respective councils from their organization as Grand Bodies is no longer here to watch over and protect their interests.

In short, Freemasonry has lost in Bro. Canon Portal one of its most cultured and most capable members, who had been the friend and associate in Masonic labor of many of the chief dignitaries of our Order, and who leaves behind him not only many sterling memorials of his wisdom and strength as a ruler, but likewise a reputation for kindliness as well as ability which few will rival, and none surpass.

Congratulations, Bro. Gan! I hope your lecture will be published for those of us who cannot attend your stops in England.

     

‘Macoy initiates Trestle Board program’

    

Macoy Masonic Supply Co., making and selling us the stuff we need since Old Rough and Ready was president, launches a membership program for those seeking further Light in Masonry.

Macoy’s Trestle Board is a video channel, with more than a hundred videos online already, for subscribers, plus it brings a variety of benefits.

(I do not profit from this. I’m only spreading the news.)

Available to members are:

⬩Mentorship Program for officers and all

⬩Monthly Book, from both Macoy and Lewis Masonic, delivered by mail

⬩Lodge Talks: videos and discussions

⬩10 percent discount on more than a thousand catalog items

Click here to peruse all the options and to join, if you desire.

     

‘Communication in a cemetery’

    

If you are the type who keeps an all-seeing eye open for Masonic symbols on headstones when visiting cemeteries, this stated communication may be for you.

Western Branch Lodge 189 in Virginia will meet Saturday inside Southampton Memorial Park in Franklin at four in the afternoon.

Closed on Saturdays, the cemetery will welcome the lodge. It contains not one, but two Masonic sections. I imagine there are many familiar images engraved in the granite and other hard stone markers.

Most Worshipful Vernon Stuart Cook, who served as the Grand Lodge of Virginia’s 172nd Grand Master in 2016-17, will be the keynote speaker presenting “Masonry: A Force for Good.”

(Secret of the chair: bring your own.)

     

‘Convention of Masonic Light’

    

Quality event coming to Ulster County next month. From the publicity:

Convention of Masonic Light

Saturday, October 24 at 9 a.m.

Warwarsing Lodge 582

16 Center Street in Ellenville

Admission: $30

More Than a Masonic Conference.

A Day to Learn, A Day to Serve.

Freemasonry teaches us to seek Light. But it also teaches us that knowledge finds its highest purpose only when it is put into action. That belief is the foundation of the Convention of Masonic Light. On Saturday, October 24, brothers from across New York will gather at Warwarsing Lodge 582 for a day of inspiring Masonic education, meaningful fellowship, and a shared commitment to making a difference.

We’re honored to welcome three distinguished featured speakers:

   Most Worshipful William Sardone, Past Grand Master of Masons in the State of New York

   Right Worshipful Alberto Cortizo, Past Grand Treasurer

   Right Worshipful Michael LaRocco, Director of the Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library

We’re also honored to welcome Tracy Schober, MPA, Executive Director of the Autism Society of the Greater Hudson Region, who will help connect our charitable mission to the families and communities it serves every day.

This event is about more than outstanding speakers. A portion of every admission fee will benefit the Masonic Medical Research Institute through the 3-5-7 Campaign, supporting groundbreaking medical research, including research related to autism. Our hope is to dedicate this year’s contribution in honor of a child affected by autism—reminding us that the principles of Brotherly Love and Relief extend far beyond the walls of our lodges.

Because behind every diagnosis is a child with dreams, a family searching for answers, and a community that can choose to make a difference.

Throughout the coming weeks, we’ll introduce each of our featured speakers through exclusive video invitations, giving you a preview of the education and inspiration that await. If you’ve ever wanted to experience Freemasonry at its best, this is your invitation.

Reserve your seat, invite a brother, and join us for a day of Light, Learning, Brotherhood, and Purpose, because together we don’t just study Relief, we practice it.

     

‘More Morgan’

     

From the Rob Morris book William Morgan; or Political Anti-Masonry, Its Rise, Growth and Decadence, 1884 edition.

I am happy to see the attention paid to the bicentennial anniversary of the “Morgan Affair.” While it’s nothing to celebrate, it is a significant chapter of Masonic history. It is not a stretch to say the fraternity we support today (forthrightly public, conspicuously philanthropic, et al.) is the product of the antimasonic panic that arose after the disappearance of William Morgan in Upstate New York on September 12, 1826.

Saturday, the Mother Supreme Council uploaded a great documentary video on this subject. Having watched this, I feel better now about my presentation in lodge that day because the real historians discuss the points I also recounted, although I didn’t go into Thurlow Weed, and I omitted that Honduras angle. Click the image below and be taken to YouTube.

Among the other lodges devoting time and consideration to the subject is Glen Cove 580 on Long Island:

     

‘New Jersey’s Anti-Masonic Party’

    

From the Proceedings of the Fourth Massachusetts Convention of Antimasonic Republicans, Boston, September 1833.
Click to enlarge.

We’ve had better days at New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education. I can’t write off yesterday’s meeting as a total loss—I mean, we held our nominations for elected office for the coming two-year term to make our December communication easier—but things could have been more encouraging.

First, attendance was slight. We don’t draw huge crowds to our activities (no research lodge does), but we typically are good for twenty guys, approximately. There were eight of us in lodge assembled at Freemasons Hall Saturday. Secondly, due to an absence, there was only a single presenter for the morning. A good speaker could carry a meeting, but that wasn’t to be. Worse, our speaker began by confessing he hadn’t completed his research, so that his presentation wouldn’t delve inside his main topic, but that instead, his introductory topic, for giving context to the keynote, would have to suffice.

Okay, that unprepared sorry speaker was myself. I didn’t budget enough time to tackle all the research I needed for this paper. The topic is the Anti-Masonic Party in New Jersey. That introductory topic was the abduction and possible killing of William Morgan in Upstate New York, the event that precipitated the anti-Masonic movement in many states between 1827 and 1840. Yesterday was the 200th anniversary of the kidnapping, which is why I aimed for this meeting to present a history of this local political party, but time ran out.

In my professional editorial work, deadlines are no problem. Of course there’s remuneration at the end of those jobs, so maybe that’s why, but what frustrates me about this research project is I know where to find the troves of information I require, but making time to go has been difficult. For example, the New Jersey State Library, located in Trenton, keeps banker’s hours; it’s open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., like a church thrift shop or something.

So, I focused on William Morgan’s life and alleged demise, relying on sources from Canada, which seem to me to be objective and rational. Much has been written about the “Morgan Affair,”  but I find a lot gets emotional and defensive. I wish I had Dafoe’s book. I never got around to buying Morgan: The Scandal that Shook Freemasonry, and now it’s out of print and copies are expensive. And, Masonic libraries are stingy with hours too.

Anyway, it’s an interesting story because simultaneously the anti-Masonic political party never accomplished anything in the state, but Freemasonry in New Jersey almost disappeared nevertheless. By 1840, when the smoke mostly had dissipated, there were eight lodges still operational, down from more than fifty in ’27. The fraternity had returned to its size at the founding of Grand Lodge in 1786. Long before 1840, the party, in the words of one historian, had “dwindled into insignificance” itself.

From The Antimasonic Party by Charles McCarthy, 1903 (the author’s doctoral dissertation). Click to enlarge.

In the 1832 presidential contest between Tennessee Past Grand Master Andrew Jackson and Kentucky Past Grand Master Henry Clay, the New Jersey Anti-Masonic Party inadvertently delivered their state to Jackson by denying Clay just enough votes in the tightest election in Jersey history. Clay had demitted from his lodge in 1824—never denounced the Craft, but gave up his membership—so the antimasons helped send a prominent and enthusiastic Freemason to the White House. They were that kind of political voice.

My desired conclusion for the talk was to be a humorous note about corruption in government courtesy of this one-issue party, but I need to grab more details first. I mean it’s funny in a dark way. If you know New Jersey politics, you know things never change when it comes to our beloved grifters in government, no matter the political party. (I used to work in professional politics. The official I answered to ended up in a federal penitentiary. They’re all garbage.)

I’ll get my eyes on the obscure papers I need eventually.

From Anti-Masonic Review, a monthly magazine by ‘renouncing Mason’ Henry Dana Ward, 1828. Click to enlarge.

After such a confused performance, I wanted to just quietly resume my seat and tell myself no one will remember this ignominious episode by the next time we meet. So what does Worshipful Master Don do? Has me exit the room. In my absence, the brethren—all seven of ’em!—voted to confer the lodge’s Distinguished Laureate Meritus honor on me. I didn’t even know meritus was a word.

We have too many honors at LORE. If you present five papers, we may elect you to Laureate Membership. Present ten, and maybe you’ll become a Distinguished Laureate. Do the ten and serve the lodge in other ways, and you could become this DLM. When the lodge was launched twenty-five years ago, just one honor was created: the one for ten papers. That’s enough. Ten papers, approved by the Editorial and Review Committee, is a ton of work. Could take a decade or more. Two members have preceded me here: Ben Hoff and Howard Kanowitz, both of whom have dazzled and entertained the lodge with their historical findings and engaging styles. (Don’t tell no one, but I’ve never written a Masonic research paper! I write in magazine feature article style. Same information, just in a different package.) But my thanks to the brethren for choosing me for this distinction. I rang the bell on that ten-paper minimum long ago, but never inquired into the honors because… we have too many honors in Masonry and it has to stop. It gets more ridiculous as the fraternity shrinks like a rayon shirt in the wash.

Our next meeting will be Saturday, December 12 for our elections & installation of officers and the new Master’s inaugural paper.

     

‘The Imperfect Storm at Cooperstown’

     

The lodge in Cooperstown will host a historian’s talk on the “Morgan Affair” Tuesday.

Yesterday was the 200th anniversary of the arrest of William Morgan at Batavia; today is the bicentenary of Morgan’s seeming disappearance. That mystery—an alleged, but unproven murder—precipitated a scandal that shamed our fraternity almost to oblivion, and echoes of suspicion are heard even today. From the publicity:

The Morgan Affair:

200 Years Later

By Steven L. Harrison

Tuesday, September 15, 7:30 p.m.

Otsego Lodge 138

77 Main Street, Cooperstown

Join us on this somber occasion as we are joined by Steven L. Harrison from Missouri as he discusses the events that unfolded in Western New York during September of 1826 and beyond.

Members are encouraged to read Bro. Harrison’s book The Imperfect Storm before this meeting if possible. Two copies that may be borrowed are in the lodge library.

This event is open to all Freemasons in good standing in the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York and jurisdictions in amity. This event is not open to the public.